


Visions of Darkness (Reylo One-Shot)

by Celestia_ships_reylo



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon Rewrite, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Dark Reylo, F/M, Force Visions (Star Wars), Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is a Palpatine (Star Wars), Seduction to the Dark Side, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestia_ships_reylo/pseuds/Celestia_ships_reylo
Summary: Still shaken from the newfound knowledge of her bloodline, Rey is finally within arm’s reach of the wayfinder that will lead her to Exegol. To her grandfather.But when she arrives at the throne room on the old Death Star, she is met by what she least expects—a dark version of herself who warns her of the dangers of the path she is on...and tempts her with what she desires most:To have a home, a family.To be loved.Belonging.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 13
Kudos: 66





	Visions of Darkness (Reylo One-Shot)

Rey hauled herself up the metal precipice and found herself on semi-stable footing again. She shook out her arms, trying to stretch out her muscles, which ached from the climb through the decaying Death Star...among other things. Stress, lack of sleep, fear—and the lingering shock from her last encounter with Ben. When he had told her what was now her darkest secret... When he had told her who she really was.

Heiress to the throne of the Emperor...

A Palpatine.

As she breathed heavily, gathering her strength, she took in the scene before her. Not much remained of the room in which she now found herself. The place the dagger had led her to. The only object she could distinguish was the deformed chair that stood alone at the end of the room... a throne, she knew. She shuddered slightly, realizing who had occupied that throne in the past. He was known by many names throughout galactic history. Darth Sidious. Emperor Palpatine. _Her grandfather..._ It was no use denying it now. She had sensed no lie, no deception in Ben’s words. Only truth.

Even she had sensed the rising darkness within herself. Through visions and dreams. Through the anger that she had to fight to hold in. Through the immense power she had displayed when she thought she had killed Chewie.

A chill—and a thrill, a sensation of _excitement_ —went down her spine at the thought that this throne rightfully belonged to her.

She fought to clear her head. The darkness that pervaded this room was overwhelming her senses. She kept sensing presences...important presences. Something incredible had happened here... Flashes of memories not her own came to her through the Force. A green blade clashing with red. A hooded figure on the throne. Lightning. A black helmet she had seen only once before, in Ben’s mind... _Darth Vader._

With much effort, she pushed these visions and memories out of her mind, trying to remember the task at hand.

Ah, yes. The wayfinder. Where could it be? It would take her hours to search this wreckage. Hours the Resistance could not afford to lose.

She did not have to search at all, however. As she approached the throne—trying to ignore the way it called to her, _drew_ her to it—a panel just taller than herself slid open at her touch. As if it recognized her. As if she was... _known_ here.

She stepped forward into the dark chamber. Somehow, as if instinctively, she knew the object she was searching for lay within.

Rey walked in cautiously, watching her step. She jumped when the door slid closed behind her with a hiss. Was she trapped in here now? Well, she would find a way out once she had gotten what she had come for.

Her breath caught at her surroundings.... the room was full of fractured mirrors. They reflected only parts of her...mostly her eyes. The eyes in the mirror glinted with both determination and fear.

She walked hesitantly up to the center of the room, which emanated a dim, ominous glow. Avoiding the maze of shattered mirrors, she approached the structure that held the wayfinder. It floated in a space between the halves of the pillar that held it, seemingly unperturbed by its visitor. Again Rey felt recognized by this darkness. It... _welcomed_ her.

With shuddering breaths she reached out toward the glowing pyramid. It dropped into her hand as if attracted by her touch. As if it was submitting itself to the hand of its rightful owner, the heiress of the Sith.

She gazed into the depths of the wayfinder, her eyes wide. This was more than just a tool for navigation. It was a relic of darkness, much like Ochi’s dagger. A dark presence in the Force lingered about it...evidence of its Sith origins. The miasma of darkness threatened to swallow her up in another vision, and she tore her gaze from it. This place was trying to show her something. Something she wanted— _needed_ —to see. But she didnt have that kind of time.

A tremor in the Force caused her to turn suddenly. She sensed someone behind her, watching her every move. Her first thought was of Ben...she almost hoped it was him. But no... this was something else.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows that made the room appear much smaller than it was. It was a woman dressed in dark robes that distinctly reminded her of Ben. The silky black hood that framed her face contrasted starkly with her pale features. Rey inhaled sharply when the realization hit her. Those features were her own...

She started to step away from the vision—or reflection—she didnt know which. She couldn’t move, however. She was rooted to the spot, somehow. She eyed the dark version of herself in fear as the figure approached her. She noted that the dark Rey’s stride was more graceful, more confident, than her own. A knowing smile played at the hooded figure’s lips as she slowed to a stop in front of Rey.

The dark Rey ignited a double-bladed lightsaber. Its red blades danced in the darkness, chaotic and mesmerizing like Ben’s. Rey gasped, realizing she had seen this saber before in her own dreams...or in visions...of a darker part of herself not unlike the figure that now stood before her. She had the sudden urge to fight her way out of whatever this was. Her thoughts turned to her own lightsaber with its single bright-blue blade, its hilt now clipped to her belt.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” the hooded figure laughed. “It wouldn’t end well.”

The sound of her own voice coming from this dark self unhinged her. And...had she read her thoughts? Rey had made no movement to grab her lightsaber. She couldn’t have, if she’d tried. So how did she know that—

“Don’t you see? I _am_ you, Rey. You shouldn’t be afraid. _Never be afraid of who you are.”_

Rey recognized Leia’s words, twisted to mean something else...and yet, the power that surrounded the figure allured her...made her want to know more. The dark power this version of herself wielded... it was _intoxicating_. She suddenly found herself able to speak.

“Who—who are you?”

“I think I already answered that question,” the dark Rey replied smugly.

“No...you’re not me. You’re just some...vision.”

The dark Rey raised an eyebrow, then reached up with one hand to pull back her hood. In the crimson light of the blazing saber, she could see the brown hair that had been hidden behind the hood. It was undoubtedly her own.

“Are you so sure?” said the figure, in a half-amused whisper.

The dark Rey strode around Rey, as if studying her, her long black cloak billowing slightly with her every movement. She sighed, as if disappointed in what she saw.

“Let me ask _you_ something now. Who do _you_ think you are?”

For reasons she did not know or understand, Rey felt compelled to answer. Perhaps answering these questions would allow her to get some answers of her own...

“I’m a scavenger from Jakku... I’m training to be a Jedi like—”

The dark Rey interrupted with a scoff. “No, that’s not it. Who are you _really_?”

Rey swallowed hard, knowing that saying it aloud would make it a thousand times more real.

“I’m his—his granddaughter. My father was the son of the Emperor,” she replied slowly, remembering the patient way that Ben had revealed it to her. What she would have given to have him with her right now...

“That’s better,” said the dark figure. “But I’m afraid I must warn you...the path you’re on is not your destiny. It will only lead to destruction.”

“No, I’m trying to _stop_ that destruction. I’m trying to help win this war.”

The shadowy figure shook her head disapprovingly. “You’re being deceived. Don’t you see? They only want you for your power. Once they get what they want from you, you’ll only be a danger to them. They’ll destroy you.”

No, Leia would never do that to her... but the dark version of herself was quite convincing. Most of the Resistance, she knew, viewed her only as a weapon. But not her friends. And surely not Leia...

“Yes, even her,” the dark Rey whispered in reply to Rey’s thoughts. “You don’t believe me? Look at her own son. She didn’t destroy him, but she abandoned him. Left him to be consumed by himself. Trust me, she is entirely capable of doing the same to you.”

The truth in those words rang in her ears. The abandonment she had already experienced made her fear that it would happen again in the future. She had thought those fears had been unfounded... but perhaps they were not...

The cloaked figure strode around the room again, her familiar voice echoing through the dark chamber. Now that she had gotten Rey to acknowledge the truth in her words, the dark Rey moved on to a different subject.

“You have...desires. Deep desires. Belonging. A home. Even a family... You don’t want to be alone anymore. I understand. They were my desires, too.”

Rey wondered where this was heading. She felt the miasma of darkness threatening to swallow her up again, trying to fill her mind with unwanted visions that nevertheless stoked her curiosity.

“I could show you...”

“Show me what?” Rey asked, unwillingly intrigued.

“Show you what could be, if you gave in to it. To the darkness you’ve been trying to hide for so long. To the desires you hold back from everyday. To your _true_ self.”

It was tempting...so tempting. Ever since her visions of darkness had begun—sometime after the Battle of Crait—she had wanted to see more. Each time the visions baited her with just a glimpse of what could be. She closed her eyes, picturing the last one... For just a second, she had seen herself on the throne of the Sith, in robes not unlike those worn by the figure in front of her. But she hadn’t been alone. Ben had been there. With her.

The most frightening—and secretly wonderful—part of that vision was that she had seen what she had been refusing to admit to herself for months. It had revealed her deepest hopes and desires...about Ben. Hadn’t she seen herself with him, settled comfortably in his arms on the throne? Sitting on his lap and gazing up at him, her hand reaching for his face? It had winked out just then, leaving her wanting to see more, against her better judgement.

And now, this dark self was offering just that...a chance to see what could be... She knew she shouldn’t. But would it really be wrong?

“So? Do you want to see what the Dark Side can offer you?” said the cloaked Rey, breaking the silence.

Rey made up her mind. “Yes. Show me.”

The dark Rey smiled and nodded. The dark power surrounding them increased, causing Rey’s mind to swirl and making her drop the wayfinder. She stopped resisting the vision’s pull, closing her eyes and finally allowing it to seize her.

* * *

Rey opened her eyes with a start, disoriented, feeling as if she had emerged from some kind of void. She breathed in deeply, trying to take in her surroundings.

The walls of the room she found herself in were a brilliant, radiant white. The jet-black floors were spotless enough to see one’s reflection in. The whole room was the characteristic sterile black-and-white of the First Order. But there were some things that made this room much more human—much more like a home—than any room on a First Order ship she had ever seen before. There were pillows strewn about in an inviting fashion. A rug on the floor in one place. A wardrobe with one door standing just slightly ajar. Small plants in little pots scattered about the room in no particular pattern. It was beautiful, Rey thought. A mixture of the First Order’s strict functionality with a touch of human presence and emotion. Someone had taken their time to make this room their own.

She suddenly realized that she was lying in bed in the middle of the room she had been studying. The sheets were softer than anything she had ever felt before. The Resistance had no resources for luxuries like this. Rey sat up, running her fingers along the silken sheets, wondering what she was doing there. She inhaled sharply when she saw that the other side of the bed had been slept in. Someone had been there beside her...

Rey sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating her situation. She looked down at herself. Her hair was let down all the way. She was wearing some kind of nightgown, all black, of a soft, silky material that she supposed was worth her weight in portions. She touched the delicate black lace that lined the edge of her sleeve, wondering how a vision could feel so real.

She stood and walked about the room, gently touching the leaves of the small plants that adorned it. She was always fascinated at how much life a single plant could emanate through the Force. She found there was nothing she would change about this room; it was as if it had been made for her...or by her. Something about this room seemed eerily familiar. As if she had imagined it in forgotten dreams a thousand times before.

She sat back down on the bed, wondering what to do now. She jumped when she heard someone’s footsteps just outside, and her eyes widened as she sensed his familiar presence. She had no doubts as to who had slept beside her.

Ben walked into the room and greeted her with a smile, as if she was _supposed_ to be there.

“Good morning, sweetheart.”

_What had he called her?_

He sat down on the bed beside her. “Sorry I had to get up early. I had to meet the Knights for their monthly report.”

She just stared up at him, her eyes wide, her mind and heart racing. This room was _theirs_. She had, indeed, been the one to bring life to this room. And Ben—

“Are you all right?” Ben asked, concerned at Rey’s first puzzled, then shocked expression.

“I—I—yes. I’m...fine,” she replied, thoroughly shaken.

Ben reached over and took both of her hands in his own. Rey looked up into his eyes, suddenly willing herself to forget this was a vision...that this wasn’t real.

“If something’s wrong, just tell me, Rey.”

“N-nothing’s wrong, Ben.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, still wondering why she seemed a bit confused. “Do you need anything?”

He reached out to gently lay his palm against the side of her face.

“You know I always take good care of my Empress,” he said, leaning in close.

She leaned up toward him, the fact that this was a vision completely forgotten. His lips were just inches from hers, and he leaned down toward her, closing the space between them. She had just closed her eyes and felt only the brush of his lips against hers when the vision winked out of existence as suddenly as it had come, leaving her painfully empty, wanting more. Why couldn’t it have lasted just a few moments longer...

“You _belonged_ there,” whispered her dark self, who stood before her in the darkness of the mirror-chamber once again. “You had a home.... Did you like it, Rey?”

Rey was still trying to catch her breath from the vision. That had been everything she had wanted, everything she _needed_...everything she had forbidden herself from hoping for after leaving Ben on the floor of Snoke’s throne room.

“You did, didn’t you...” the cloaked figure chuckled. “You haven’t seen even half of it.”

Her defenses lowered, Rey was pulled into the darkness of another vision. She closed her eyes and gave in to it, allowing herself to hope that she would see Ben again...

* * *

She opened her eyes in a dark room—an antechamber of sorts. She was wearing the same dark robes that the figure in the mirror-chamber wore. Not until now did Rey notice that the color black suited her well...

She heard muffled voices beyond the antechamber and strode toward them, her curiosity burning within her. Her footsteps echoed lightly against the reflective black floors. Somehow, she felt as if she knew this place. It drew her the same way that the throne on the Death Star had. Rey’s mind tingled with a presence. No, two. One of them she knew by heart— _Ben_. The other was distinctly familiar, as if a part of herself. But she didn’t know who it was.

She emerged in a room—a throne room—much taller and wider than Snoke’s throne room had been. The walls were just as black as the floors. The only interruption to the blackness was a dark crimson carpet leading up to—Rey gasped. There it was...the throne from her visions. The throne of the Sith. But it was empty.

She heard the voices again, much clearer now. She tore her gaze away from the throne and looked below it. Ben was there, with the other presence she had noticed before. A child. A little girl just past the age of a toddler. She had beautiful dark wavy hair and deep brown eyes... _his_ eyes. But the girl’s nose and mouth were Rey’s own.

Ben knelt beside the girl, watching her with sincere interest. The girl reached out with her hand, lifting a wooden block without touching it. This girl could use the Force, Rey thought to herself. This ability at such a young age...she would be very powerful in the future.

“Look, Dad! I can lift two at once now!!” Rey’s hand flew to her mouth as she realized who this girl was.

“You’re improving. Well done.”

“I can’t wait to show Mom!”

Ben laughed. “As soon as she gets back from ruling the galaxy today, I’m sure you’ll be able to show her. She’ll be quite pleased.”

The girl looked up at him, her eyes twinkling. “I’ll get to rule the galaxy one day, won’t I, Dad?”

Ben smiled at the girl. At his _daughter_. “Of course you will, my dear. And you’ll be a fine Empress, I’m sure. But don’t get ahead of yourself. You still have much to learn.”

The girl sighed. “That’s what Mom _always_ says.”

“That’s because she’s right,” Ben laughed. “She’s always right.”

He glanced up and saw Rey standing at the entrance to the throne room. He smiled warmly at Rey, as if relieved to see her. “Speaking of your mother...” her said to the girl, who turned to face Rey.

“Mom!!” The girl ran up to Rey, who instinctively knelt and caught the little girl in her arms, hugging her close.

_Mom?_

Her breathing quickened when a million realizations hit her at once. Then, the vision dissolved again, leaving her hugging nothing, kneeling in the secret chamber.

“What did you think of her?” said the dark Rey, lifting an eyebrow.

“She—she had his eyes....” Rey said breathlessly, her mind still clouded from the perceived shift in realities.

“Does that mean— Are we— Is Ben—” she said, choking on the million questions that were still left unanswered.

The cloaked Rey smiled knowingly. She clasped her hands in front of her, and for the first time, Rey noticed the ring on the dark figure’s left hand. It was blood red. _Beautiful_ blood red. Rey knew exactly what it meant...and who had given it to her.

“It’s nice, you know. To be loved. To have a family to call your own.” The dark figure looked down at the ring and back at Rey with a sense of satisfaction.

Tears filled Rey’s eyes...she wished against her will that these visions were her reality. It was indeed nice to feel loved...

But did she have to turn to darkness for that belonging? Her hunger for the power and acceptance she found in the darkness was still allayed by the light that she had held inside her for so long. The light side was against her natural instincts, but she had upheld its values for so long that it had become a part of her.

“And if I don’t join the Dark Side, if I stay on the path I’m on now...then what? Will—will Ben never turn?” Rey asked.

“Oh, he will turn. Because of you.” The dark Rey lowered her eyes, suddenly somber. As if there was more that she would rather leave unsaid.

“Then none of this matters! We’ll still be together, right? In the light...” Rey paused in concern, watching sadness, anger, and pity chase themselves across her dark counterpart’s face.

“Must I tell you? Do you really need to know?” said the dark figure, sounding pained.

Rey wondered what made her dark self so mournful about the future down Rey’s current path. But she had to know...

“Yes,” Rey said firmly. “I must know.”

“So be it,” sighed her dark self, as if what Rey was about to see would physically hurt them both.

Dizziness engulfed her, and Rey succumbed to a vision once more.

* * *

Rey opened her eyes to a strange noise surrounding her. A chant, perhaps. The air was thick with heat and an evil presence that was hauntingly familiar. Lightning illuminated the cracked ground below her feet. She did not know where she was...but, somehow, she knew its name. _Exegol_. Where had she heard that name in the past? In another vision? Or had she been here before?

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. No, she had never been here before. But much more of this vision stuff, and she would soon lose the ability to distinguish between visions and reality.

Following the eerie chanting, Rey stepped forward into what resembled an amphitheater. At the end of the room was a figure robed in black—the main source of the evil presence that pervaded this place. Behind him was a throne. The throne of the Sith. She recognized it from yet another vision. Rey sighed. More visions—she was going to lose her mind.

A slim figure fought the red-cloaked guards in front of the decaying Emperor, her blue lightsaber flashing wildly as she deflected the guards’ attacks with the Force. Rey was surprised to find that she was watching herself. She vaguely wondered why she was in this fight alone.

Only one red guard remained—and was suddenly thrown out of the way. _Ben_ , Rey thought with a thrill of joy. She wasn’t alone in this fight after all. Ben was with her. He had turned! She could sense her future self’s relief though the Force.

The vision swirled suddenly, making Rey close her eyes, slightly nauseous. She opened them, realizing the vision had skipped ahead in time. And she had opened her eyes just in time to watch herself collapse to the floor, alone again. The last thing the future Rey did was call out for Ben. Where was he? Rey thought, panicked. Was this what the dark Rey had been worried about? Did she die in this future?

A surge in the Force made her turn toward a deep pit several yards away from where the lifeless body of her future self lay. A hand gripped the edge of the pit, and Ben hauled himself up, grimacing in pain. Rey’s eyes widened, more concerned about how hurt Ben looked than about watching her own future life ebbing away.

Ben stumbled toward her with determination despite the magnitude of his injuries. His arm, holding his side, told Rey that he had probably broken a few ribs. He lost his footing, sending him crashing onto the floor. No...he had not lost his footing. His ankle was broken...

He forced himself back up in an instant, allowing himself to collapse again only when he was near enough to crawl to Rey’s body. Shaking violently—not with the pain, but with despair—he reached out and checked her pulse while simultaneously pulling her onto his lap as gently as he could under the circumstances. His eyes swam with tears when he could not detect her heartbeat. Rey watched from the sidelines, her hands covering her mouth, trembling. Was this how things would end for them? Was this the doom that her dark reflection had sensed down her path?

Tears fell down her face as she watched Ben hug her tenderly to his chest for a moment. She could see his sense of helplessness in his eyes. Rey shut her eyes, letting more tears pour down her cheeks. She couldn’t bare to see him like this...

She opened her eyes a few seconds later and saw Ben release her lifeless form, laying her down on his lap and placing his hand near her stomach. There was a look of desperate purpose in his tear-filled eyes. His eyelids shut and Rey sensed an immense flow of power, his life-force itself, flowing into her future self. Rey’s eyes widened, realizing that he was healing her.

Rey sighed in relief as she watched her future self open her eyes, finding herself in Ben’s arms. She wouldn’t die after all... What had the dark Rey been so afraid of? This...this made everything right again.

 _“Ben!”_ she heard her other self whisper, her voice betraying a thousand emotions at once.

He gazed at her, unsure what she would do now. The future Rey sat up, still staring into his eyes. She brought her hand up to his face, gently caressing it with her fingers. Rey smiled as she watched her other self reach out to kiss him as he leaned forward desperately, and yet...so gently, to meet her lips. _Finally_ , thought Rey.

Rey watched them separate and saw Ben break into the biggest smile of pure happiness she had ever seen. This was no future to be afraid of... Her dark counterpart must have been wrong...

But then her heart shattered as she watched the smile on Ben’s face slowly fade and his arm around the other Rey’s waist go slack and fall away. Tears started running down her face as she watched Ben fall to the ground as if in slow motion.

_No..._

The other Rey caught his hand in her own as he fell, gripping it tightly, clearly not wanting to let go.

_No no no..._

Ben faded away into the Force right before her eyes. The future Rey’s face was etched with same despair that Rey was feeling at that moment.

This must have been what her dark self had seen—what had given her so much pain... Did it really end like this? She fell to her knees in agony.

_NO!!!_

* * *

The scream had just escaped her lips when Rey found herself back in the mirror-chamber, kneeling on the floor, drenched in her own sweat and shaking with sobs. With bitter tears pouring down her cheeks, Rey looked up at the cloaked figure that stood before her again. Her dark counterpart’s face was drawn, as if in pain. As if the vision had hurt her too.

Trying to slow her breathing, Rey thought back to what she had just seen. Could this really be the end of her journey as a Jedi? Would the galaxy really give her just one taste of belonging, only to rip it away in the next moment? She hoped that this vision was lying, but she sensed only truth... only horrible, heartbreaking _truth_.

“He’s dead, Rey. If you continue down this path, you’ll never be able to have him.”

Rey was in denial, trembling with grief and rage.

“No...I’ll find him. I’ll bring him back. Somehow... I—I have to—“

“Rey, he’s _gone_. If he turns, you _will_ lose him.”

“There’s...no chance he’ll make it? Not even one possibility—”

Dark Rey shook her head in brutal honesty. Rey buried her face in her hands. If it had been her own life that would be lost on her path as a Jedi, she might have been able to bear it. But Ben? No, she couldn’t lose him...she would rather be dead herself than to be forced to watch him die in her arms like that.

The cloaked Rey smiled. The girl was almost ready to accept her fate.

Rey looked up at her dark counterpart, demanding an explanation.

“I thought suffering was a part of the Dark Side. I thought that, by staying away from the dark, things would turn out all right...that I might actually find my own place in all this—by following the Jedi path...by following the legacy of the Skywalkers...”

Her dark self scoffed. “The _legacy_ of the Skywalkers? Don’t you see? Their legacy is a stain upon the galaxy. Their _legacy_ is failure...and suffering. You think a code that forces you to repress your emotions—your feelings and desires—is the path to avoid suffering? No...it is the very cause of suffering. That was what caused the fall of the Jedi in the first place. The light side destroyed them from the inside out. Just look at the Skywalkers you think of so highly. All of their paths were filled with failure and ended in suffering and destruction.”

Rey knelt in silence, still shaken from the vision.

“In committing to the light side and trying to uphold the Jedi Order, Luke enabled his own destruction. It consumed him to the point that he almost murdered an innocent young man to prevent him from joining the dark. And, in doing so, he became the catalyst that forced Ben away. Then he secluded himself in shame, never bothering to care for the cause his sister fought for. His end is seen as heroic by many, but it was still a failure. He couldn’t help his nephew, and all he did was delay the inevitable end of the Resistance cause. He may have died in peace, but his life was filled with suffering.”

Rey had seen this suffering in his eyes while she followed him on Ahch-to. Her insides still burned when she thought of what Luke had almost done to Ben.

“And Leia, your ‘master,’ was no different. She stayed true to the light side to the very end. And what did the light reward her with? Her husband, dead. Her son, fallen to the dark, in part because of her failure to care for him. Her cause, which she placed above her own life...and that of her family, is hopeless. She is on her deathbed and, like Luke, she too will die alone. Does this sound like a blissful existence to you, Rey?”

“No...” she whispered in reply.

“If you continue down this path, dragging Ben to the light with you, you will doom yourselves to the same fate. He will die, and you...you will be forced to live the rest of your days without him. Forced to live among others who will see you as dangerous and will have no idea of what you’ve lost.”

That sounded like nothing short of a living death to Rey’s ears...

“Are you going to do that to yourself? To _him_? Will you doom him to this fate, knowing there could’ve been another way? An easier way? A way that aligns with both of your natures and bloodlines?”

Rey’s eyes widened in fear. No, she couldn’t do this...she couldn’t be responsible for his death...

“If he dies now, falling prey to the delusions of the light, after all I have shown you...it would be _your_ fault, Rey,” the dark Rey added in a voice dripping with contempt and savage honesty.

Rey wiped tears from her face. This dark version of herself was telling her the truth... It was merciless, pitiless, brutal...but it was the truth. Unlike the lies and deception of the Jedi.

But here was a path on which they would both live...and it offered her all that she could ever desire...

“Your time is running out, Rey. What will you do?”

Rey knew what she had to do. These visions had finally forced her to acknowledge that she—she _loved_ him. Under no conditions was she going to lose this newfound belonging. Her supposed allegiance to the light side offered her nothing in return...it was not worth this pain. And she refused to be the one to bear the guilt of having caused Ben’s death.

“I—I’ll do it,” Rey said, standing up, suddenly determined. “I—I can’t lose him now...”

“What _will_ you do, then?” the dark Rey asked, pressing Rey to accept the destiny she had been fleeing from all these years.

“I’ll join him. We’ll build a new Empire,” Rey said. She remembered Ben’s words from when he had last offered her his hand, and a place to reign by his side. “We’ll take the throne together.”

“And no one will be able to take him from me,” she added with passionate ferocity. She could not shake the remembrance of that last vision... she hadn’t even been able to say goodbye...

The shadowy figure nodded slowly in approval. “You’ve made the right choice, Rey.”

For the first time since she had walked into this chamber, Rey smiled. She knew now that she and Ben could be together...that they would rule together. She now had access to so much more power...power that they would share and put to good use. As Emperor and Empress, they could mold this galaxy to their liking, to their every whim. They would never have to hide from each other again. They wouldn’t be alone anymore...

“He’s already arrived. He’ll meet you here.”

Rey’s eyes lit up, her heart full at the thought of seeing him again. Of apologizing for having been so blind and having foolishly rejected him...twice. Of showing him who she had become.

The vision-Rey led her deeper into the darkness of the mirror-chamber, which somehow didn’t seem to end. She knew it did, but to the unaided eye it appeared to stretch endlessly into a pit of dark nothingness. The vision gestured toward a sort of shelf emerging from the wall on one side of the chamber. Folded there neatly were the same black robes that she had worn in her vision. They were exactly her size. She didn’t bother asking how that could be possible. Everything in this place was unnatural, and she had stopped questioning it. Instead, she was embracing it. It was as if this place had been waiting in decay for decades until her arrival. Which would come to be known as the return of the Empire.

She turned to the vision-Rey, who held the hilt of the double-bladed red lightsaber in her hands. She held it out to Rey.

“It’s yours, _Empress Palpatine_.”

Rey took it, considering it, letting it settle in her palm. It fit her perfectly, as if shaped for her hand and hers alone. She ignited it; it was long like her quarterstaff and with similar balance. Handling it felt like second nature.

When she glanced up from the lightsaber, the vision-Rey was gone. She slipped into the dark robes, preparing for Ben’s arrival. She stepped in front of a large mirror fragment, staring at herself as she pulled the hood over her hair. She looked just like the other Rey now. Or had she become the figure from the vision? She didn’t know...

All she knew was that—after years of hiding her darkness away—she was finally herself.

* * *

Kylo Ren stepped into the throne room, surveying the wreckage. He sensed familiar presences in this place. His grandfather. His uncle. And the presence of the one who was most important to him. Who he was here to confront yet again. Rey. He couldn’t see her, but he felt she was near.

He stood, waiting patiently. He knew she would come to him. Perhaps, this would be the moment when she would finally turn. Maybe this time he could convince her to come with him. He had no desire to reign alone...but to rule side-by-side with her? That was his deepest desire. _She_ was his deepest desire, he realized. To rule the galaxy would be pointless if they couldn’t do it _together_. He could only hope that, by now, after having revealed to her the origin of her darkness and her place as heiress of the Sith, she would finally have the sense to accept her destiny and become his Empress. Once she claimed her right to the throne, then he could claim her as his own.

A panel in the wall to his left began to slide open. He knew who was within, although he wondered what she had been doing in there. It didn’t matter...he had to use this moment wisely. He had to show her that her destiny lay with the Dark Side, with him. He had to take advantage now; he didn’t want yet another lightsaber duel. It was pointless, anyway. Neither of them could defeat the other.Neither of them truly wanted to, either.

“Look at yourself,” he said, despite being unable to see her himself. He didn’t need to see her to sense the cloud of darkness that was rising in her. “You wanted to prove to my mother that you were a Jedi, but you’ve proven something else.”

The panel slid open completely, revealing only her shadow, hidden by the darkness of the room beyond.

“You can’t go back to her now...like I can’t.” There was a hint of sadness in that thought, but he pushed it away. What mattered now was convincing Rey to surrender to the darkness within her.

But what he saw next made him wonder if she needed any convincing at all. She was dressed all in black, her cloak trailing behind her, a dark hood framing her face. She looked so different and... _beautiful_. He found himself trembling slightly. Had she finally given in to it? He wasn’t quite sure what to think as she walked up to him, graceful and confident.

“Ben,” she said in a way that took his breath away, he didn’t know why. He was speechless as she stepped ever closer to him and reached one hand up to his cheek, gently tracing her thumb along the scar she had given him. He felt the color rise in his face at her touch.

“Who wants to go back?” she said, her voice full of passionate emotion. She was no longer trying to mask her longing for him. Her voice was full of yearning, begging him to understand that she had surrendered to her true self and that...she wanted to take his hand now. She wanted to stay by his side, take the throne with him, just like he had pleaded with her to do for so long. She knew he sensed all this, for she saw a gaze of pleasant surprise and longing in his eyes.

He took one look into her eyes and knew that, with her ruling alongside him...he would _never_ want to go back. There was no reason to. She was all he needed. She was his belonging, just as he was hers.

 _“Rey...”_ he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion.

He smiled at her tremulously, his heart leaping with joy. She smiled back as she reached up to kiss him. He leaned down to finally meet her lips, just as he had been wanting and needing to since that day on the _Supremacy_.

She kissed him almost desperately, needing to know that this was no vision, no illusion, only reality. She was desperate to know that the path she had chosen—the path of darkness she had finally succumbed to—would live up to its offer of love and belonging. As soon as her lips met his, she knew beyond a doubt that she had made the right choice.

When they finally separated to take a breath, she gazed up into his eyes, knowing there was so much to be said, but not knowing how to say any of it.

“Ben, I—”

Ben cut in, saving her the trouble. Through their connection, their minds were like open books to each other. He knew exactly what she had been trying to say. “I know,” he whispered softly.

He gathered her in his arms, hugging her tight. Feeling her smile against his chest, he almost couldn’t believe that he would be able to hold her like this to his heart’s content from now on. Whatever happened now, he knew he would never let her go. He smiled, realizing that he would never have to.

She looked up at him, tears of joy and relief filling both of their eyes. They had finally found each other. Perhaps Rey’s mistake had been to search for him on the wrong side. At first, she had wanted him for his light. But now she knew that she needed him for his darkness. It had taken her far too long to realize it, but it didn’t matter now. They had all the time in the world.

She laughed breathlessly as he pulled back her hood and tenderly pushed the escaping wisps of her hair back with his thumb. She heard the panel to the mirror-chamber slide shut behind her. The visions she had seen there seemed to fade in light of this precious, beautiful reality. As he leaned down to kiss her once more, it seemed as if they had never happened in the first place. As if it had always been this way.

This was where they belonged—together.

Meanwhile, somewhere within the chamber, lay the wayfinder....long forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! As always, thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> While I love light side Reylo, of course, I have always been fascinated with the possibility of dark Reylo as well.
> 
> I was especially thrilled when, in TROS, Rey tells Finn that she saw Kylo—and herself—on the throne of the Sith. (My headcanon, as you see in this One-Shot, is that she saw herself on his lap hehe. There is only one seat on that throne, after all XD)
> 
> I also think that there would have been a greater possibility of Rey turning to the Dark Side if she had been tempted with the things she needed the most... Especially if she had known that, on the light side, she would end up losing Ben...
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments! 
> 
> May the Force be with you, always.


End file.
